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About the author

Richard Carleton Hacker

Contributing Wine, Spirits, and Cigars Editor

Richard Carleton Hacker is an international writer and photographer specializing in spirits, wines, cigars, and related luxury lifestyles. In addition to having authored 11 books published in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Russia, he is a long-time contributing editor for numerous national magazines, including Robb Report, for which he has written since 1995. He is also a popular keynote speaker on whiskies and cigars for corporations such as Ritz-Carlton, Alfred Dunhill, and Blancpain, and is a judge for the prestigious annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

A lifetime member of the Scotch whisky industry’s exclusive Keeper of the Quaich honorary society (he is one of fewer than 200 people worldwide to hold the coveted title of Master of the Quaich), he has also been inducted into the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, and was knighted in Germany. More of his writings and adventures can be found at www.richardcarletonhacker.com.

During one fleeting scene in the 2004 movie Van Helsing , the flames of a burning structure are reflected in a bottle of absinthe . It was a fitting symbol of the alleged hallucinogenic properties of...

One of the most captivating and instantly recognizable decanters on any home wet bar or cocktail lounge back bar is the elegant handblown Baccarat crystal decanter that contains Louis XIII Cognac , a...

The rumors are true: There is a bourbon shortage in America , which explains the lack of certain in-demand bottles—think Pappy Van Winkle , Four Roses Limited Edition Single Barrel , and W.L. Weller...

Cocktail enthusiasts—with their devotion to authenticity—have brought innumerable lost spirits back to the bar shelf, from crème de violette to Velvet Falernum. The latest taste of the past is Zucca...

Dewar’s, an award-winning blended Scotch whisky, has never disclosed which specific single malts go into its 12-, 15-, and 18-year-old whiskies, its top-of-the-line Signature whisky, and others. But...